Bulk food store GFS having a party and everyone is invited WITH VIDEO

GFS Marketplace in Waterford Township is having a party to celebrate 25 years on July 31 and they have all the fixings.

The company which started as a distributor to restaurant and business owners, became popular with consumers as a party supply shop and frontrunner for the trend of saving money by buying in bulk.

"We love Waterford and are humbled by all of the support our local customers have given us over the years," said store manager Connie Wahlstrom.

Advertisement

Gordon Food Service, headquartered in Grand Rapids, started as a distributor more than 100 years ago. It began opening retail stores in 1979, offering products to the public. Gordon's is still family owned. There are 20 GFS Marketplace stores in the metro area.

"GFS Marketplace offers a unique opportunity, different from typical grocery or bulk food stores," said Wahlstrom. "Customers, from businesses, to organizations, to family shoppers, can shop here and get recipe and party planning advice from our experts, all with the benefit of no membership fee."

Their customers include restaurants, caterers, schools, daycares, businesses, churches and other nonprofit organizations as well as individuals. "People buying for their homes, we've seen an uptick in that," said Wahlstrom.

With their Fun Funds account program, organizations can sign up to receive a percentage of their purchases in rewards.

"Organizations get a rebate quarterly," said Wohlstrom.

GFS offers bulk items mostly, but also sells portion sized bulk products. This time of year, it sells a large volume of bulk products geared to Mom- and-Pop ice cream shops.

"Our products are packed more for wholesale, like No. 10 cans," said Wahlstrom.

Among the biggest sellers are large No. 10 can-sized sauces and meatballs.

The Waterford store also sells produce.

Many of the products are labeled with "compare and save tags," which by example, shows the price difference per ounce for buying a pint of salad dressing at the grocery store vs. a gallon size at GFS.

Aunt Millie's bread line is sold at GFS. The bread delivery representative is Vince Pearson. "He's the best bread man ever," said Kort Hilgendorf, who is one of the two assistant managers. George Zoscsak is the other.

Wahlstrom has been a store manager for 13 years, first in Marquette and the past two years at the Waterford Township store. One of the checkers, Janet Shripka, has been with the store since it opened 25 years ago.

One of the store's services is called the Menu Wizard. A staffer will scan barcodes for products and put them into a program which breaks it down by serving portion and total servings along with price per unit and total price for quantity needed for each item as well as a grand total. "We scan the items that they're going to be serving and then help them plan portions," said Wahlstrom.

Customers can adjust the menu as necessary, keeping within a budget.

"Graduation is one of our busiest times of the year," said Wahlstrom.

Another service is the "Build your own fundraiser," which is a customizable order-taker style fundraiser, which allows the selection of products. "There's a list of 200 items that they can choose from," said Wahlstrom.

GFS Marketplace will celebrate its anniversary with a ribbon-cutting at noon, July 31 at the store, 4295 Highland Road.

Officials from the Waterford Chamber of Commerce and GFS Marketplace company representatives will participate. There will be food tastings and special one-day anniversary sale items throughout the afternoon as well.

"We look forward to the next 25 years of serving our community," said Wahlstrom.